Collapsible camping unit



Nov. 14, 1967 w. G. MARTIN GOLLAPSIBLE CAMPING UNIT 4 Sheets-Sheet 1Filed Nov. 16, 1965 COLLAPS IBLE CAMPING UNI T Filed Nov. 16, 1965 4Sheets-Sheet 2 D a p 0 6 C) i 51 0 i 10 3 6 a 55 1 M/VZW/W/P Nov. 14,1967 w. G. MARTIN 3,352,312

COLLAPSIBLE CAMPING UNIT Filed Nov. 16, 1965 4 Sheets-Sheet :5

Nov. 14, 1967 w. s. MARTIN COLLAPSIBLE CAMPING UNIT Filed Nov. 16, 19654 Sheets-Sheet 4 AVE 977%? United States Patent 3,352,312 CQLLAPSIBLECAMPING UNIT William G. Martin, 7235 Shawnee Run Road, Cincinnati, ()hio45243 Filed Nov. 16, 1965, Ser. No. 508,059 9 Claims. (Cl. 1351)ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A collapsible camping unit having two bunkssupported above the ground and a tent structure enclosing said bunks;the bunks, supporting structure and tent structure adapted to be foldedinto a rectanguar container.

This invention relates to a camping unit containing bunks and tentstructure which is adapted to be mounted on top of a car or in the backof a station wagon.

An objective of the invention has been to provide a camping unit whichwhen folded forms a flat, thin, clean package, all elements of which arecontained within two casing halves. The unit of the present invention isadapted to be easily unpacked and erected with the bunks supported aboveground and a tent structure mounted over the bunks.

The prior art relating to devices of this type is found in part in thewheeled trailer units which are presently in widespread use and in partin the patent literature. Except for the occasional homemade campingunit, the art is barren of any self-contained camping units which arecarried on or in an automobile. There are a few such units shown in thepatent literature but none has enjoyed any commercial acceptance. Thelack of commercial acceptance probably arises out of one or more of thefollowing disadvantages. In adapting the units'for collapsing into aconvenient package, complexities of structure have been introduced tothe extent that the units are so diflicult to manufacture that thecamper would prefer to travel with a simple tent and separate cots.Further, it has not been possible to enclose all of the necessarycomponents (bunks, canvas, tent poles, and the like) in a singlecontainer of reasonable size, and, as a consequence, the parts musteither be detachably mounted on the container structure or carriedeleswhere in the automobile. The result is the lack of desiredsimplicity and/or a rather unsightly unit. Where provision has been madefor enclosing the unit entirely in a container, the resultant containeris so large that it cannot be conveniently handled.

The present invention eliminates the disadvantages of the prior artcamping units and provides a unit in which all of the essentialcomponents are contained within a casing, these components including atent and supporting poles, bunks including mattresses, vertical wallsfor supporting the bunks well above the ground, and a floor between thesupported bunks. It has been possible to provide such a self-containedunit through an ingenious interrelationship of six panels or panel likemembers, the panels being hinged together on five pivotal axes forconvenience of manipulation in the erecting and folding operations.Further, bracing and support elements have been pivoted to respectivepanels in such a way as to admit of compact folding and to admit of easyand rapid swinging into position whereby the unit can be either erectedor collapsed and folded in a matter of less than five minutes.

A further objective of the invention has been to provide a camping unithaving two casing halves which form bunks when erected, the casinghalves being supported on two vertical wall panels and the verticalwalls being connected by a pair of hinged floor panels. Braces and ICCsupport legs have been provided to strengthen or rigidify the unit andto support it in that condition well above ground.

In attaining this objective, it will be seen that the structure requiredfor the camping unit amounts to little more than What is needed by thecamper who carries his components separately, that is, his tent, poles,stakes, bunks, mattresses, and the like. This has been achieved bygiving dual functions to several of the structural elements. Forexample, the casing halves double as bunks and the wall panels form bunksupports as well as enclosure members.

In summary, the invention includes a pair of laterally spaced horizontalcasing halves which form bunks, a pair of vertical panels hinged to anddepending from the adjacent edges of the casing halves, a pair ofhorizontal floor panels hinged to the lower edges of the vertical panelsand to each other, the floor panels being pivotable to lie againgst thevertical panels, the vertical panels being pivotable to lie against thecasing halves, and the casing halves having means to join them togetherto form a package or container enclosing the panels.

The several features of the invention will become more readily apparentfrom the following description taken in conjunction with theaccompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the invention showing the unit erected,

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the unit illustrating its appearancewhen all of the elements are collapsed and folded within the casinghalves,

FIGS. 39 are perspective views illustrating sequentially the stepsrequired for erecting the unit, the tent canvas having been eliminatedfrom FIGS. 49 for clarity,

FIG. 10 is a cross sectional view taken along lines 10-10 of FIG. 8, and

FIG. 11 is a cross sectional view taken along lines 1111 of FIG. 10.

A fully erected camping unit constructed in accordance with the presentinvention is illustrated at 15 in FIG. 1. The unit comprises two bunks16 supported above the ground by wall panels 17, the wall panels beingspaced from each other by a pair of floor panels 18. A tent canvas 19 isfastened at its lower edges to the bunks and is supported above thebunks by two U-shaped wall poles 20 and a U-shaped center pole 21 whosebight portion forms the ridge pole for the tent canvas.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the entire unit is collapsible and is adaptedto fold within two casing halves 23 to form a long, thin, flat packagewhich is easily carried on the top of an automobile or on the deck of astation wagon. Each casing half forms a main bunk element and includes abottom wall 24, a side wall 25, and two end walls 26, handles 27 beingattached to the end walls by brackets 28. To complete the formation ofeach bunk, a mattress 29 is supported on the bottom wall 24 and remainsin that position even when the structure is folded and packaged withinthe casing halves.

Each vertical wall panel includes a flat web 30 having a laterallyprojecting flange 31 along the upper edge. The flange 31 is hinged on ahorizontal axis to the edge of the bottom wall 24 of its respectivecasing half. When the casing halves are closed as shown in FIG. 2, theflanges 31 form one side wall of each casing half. When the structure iserected, the flange 31 lies flat in engagement with the undersurface ofthe bottom wall 24 of the casing half and thereby provides a bearingsurface for the support of the bunk structure and occupant.

A pair of lateral braces 35 are pivoted on vertical axes 36 to the wallpanels 17 and are adapted to swing flat against the web 30 of the wallpanel for storage within the casing halves and to swing laterallyoutwardly to a posi- 3. tion underlying the ends of a. respective bunk16 toprovide along with the wall panel 17 a support for the bunk. Thebraces 35 are preferably of a triangular shape and have asubstantialamount of their metal removed as indicatedby the holes 37 so that thestructure can be light in weight without any sacrifice in its strength.No latches are required to. hold the braces 35 in engagement with thecasing halves for the weight of the bunk on their upper edges holds themin position.

A pair of U-shaped inner braces 40 are pivoted on vertical axes 41 toone of said wall panels 17 on its inside surface, that is, the surfaceopposite the lateral braces 35. The braces 40 lie flat against the wallpanel 17 when the unit is folded for storage. When the unit is erected,the braces 40 are swung laterally across the space between the two wallpanels, the braces having side edges 42 engaging the wall panels and abottom edge 43 engaging the floor panels, one of the side edges beingthe vertical pivotal axis 41. Intermediate the side edges 42, the braceisv clamped to the floor panels by a bolt 44 which is pivoted at itsupper end 45 and is threaded at its lower end to carry a wing nut 46 anda clamping bar 47. The clamping bar 47 engages the underside of thefloor panels and, upon tightening of the wing nut 46, draws the floorpanels up against the bottom edge 43 of the brace 40. When in position,the brace40 strengthens and rigidifies the entire structure.

Each floor panel is hinged along a horizontal axis 50 to a respectivewall panel 17, the floor panels being hinged to each other as at 51along a horizontal axis through the center of the structure. The floorpanels are substantially the same width as the webs 30 of the wallpanels and lie against the outside surface of the wall panels overlyingthe lateral braces 35 when the structure is folded and encased in thecasing halves for storage.

A tubular bracket 55 is fixed to each vertical edge of each wallpanel,the bracket 55 slidably receiving a vertical element 56 forming part ofan L-shaped support leg 57. The leg 57 has a horizontal ground engagingelement 58. The tubular bracket has a series of vertically spaced holes59 into which a pin may be positioned to limit the upward penetration ofthe leg into the bracket, thereby determining the elevation of thestructure above ground. Thus, the camping unit may be supported wellabove ground and, because of the independent adjustability of each leg57, the camping unit can be levelly supported on hilly terrain or evenalong streams where' the bank is of insufiicient width to accommodatethe camper.

The inside corners of each casing half have plates 60 spaced from theend walls 36, thereby forming brackets to receive the ends of theU-shaped tent poles. One of the casing halves receives the wall pole 20whose lower ends are pivoted by a pin 61 between the bracket and end'wall 26 at the respective ends of the casing half. The opposite casinghalf has a U-shaped wall pole 20 similarly pivoted at its ends on pins61 and a center pole 21 pivoted on pins 62 above the pins 61 at the endsof the casing half. Each of the wall poles has at each end an outer leg63 telescoping into an inner leg 64, the legs being adapted to besecured to each other in fixed relation by a clamping nut 65. The centerpole 21 has at each end an outer leg 67 telescoping into an intermediateleg 68 which in turn telescopes into an inner leg 69, the legs beingadapted to be fixed with respect to each other with clamping nuts 70 and71.

The tent canvas is shaped to be mounted on the center and two well polesand is fastened to the bight portion of thesepoles by suitable straps.The lower edges of the tent canvas are secured by snap fasteners to thewalls of the respective casing halves.

In the operation of the invention, the sequence of steps employed toerect the camping unit are subject to considerable variation dependingupon the choice of the users. The sequence described below is set forthto illustrate one way in which the camping unit is erected and toillustrate the operative relationship of the elements.

As shown in FIG. 2, the casing halves are closed with the camperstructure enclosed within the casing halves, the halves being joinedtogether by toggle locks 74. The toggle locks are unfastened and thecasing halves spread apart. as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4. FIG. 3illustrates the unit with the tentcanvas and mattresses contained withinthe unit. In the remaining illustrations, the tent canvas is removed forclarity. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the horizontal ground engagingelements 58 of the legs 57 have been swung inwardly to their storageposition so as to beenclosed between casing halves.

In the sequence illustrated in FIGS. 3, 4, and 5, the casing halves arespread apart and one of them is laid upon the ground. In these views, itcan be seen that the six generally planar elements, namely, the casinghalves 23, the wall panels 17, and the floor panels 18 are seriallyjoined together on five horizontal axes and are accordion folded in thestored condition.

With the unit in the condition shown in FIG. 5, the left wall panel isinverted from the position of FIG. 5 to that of FIG. 6, the pivot axesalong each edge being swung in the direction of the arrows of FIG. 5.This movement brings the attached floor panel 18 down to a horizontalposition and raises the casing half 23 into its elevated bunk-formingposition. The ground engaging elements 58 and the braces 35 are swung totheir lateral support positions in which the braces 35 support thebottom of the casing half and in which the ground elements support thevertical wall panel 17 and with it the bracing and casing half. Theoperation is repeated for the right side of the .unit so that the unitattains the condition shown in FIG. 7. At this stage, it may be founddesirable to erect the tent canvas and its support poles in orderto getthe canvas out of the way. of the inner braces 40. The erection of thetent canvas is illustrated in FIGS. 8 and 9 taken in conjunction withFIG. 1 wherein it can be seen that the tent poles are pivoted upwardlyon their pins 61 and, 62. With theclamping nuts loosened, thetelescoping members of the respective supports are extended until thecanvas is spread as illustrated in FIG. 1, whereupon the clamping nutsare tightened.

The braces 40 are swung from their position lying against one of thevertical walls 17 across the floor panels 18 to bring the side edges 42into engagement with the respective wall panels 17. The bolt 44 on eachbrace 40 is swung downwardly and with the clamping bar 47 in engagementwith. the undersurface of the floor panels at theircommon pivoted axis,the Wing nut 46 is tightened to clamp the floor panels against thebottom edge 43 of the brace 40.

Nothing more is required to bring the unit in condition for. use.However, if the terrain on which the unit is erected is not completelylevel or if it is desired to raise the unit, it may be found desirableto extend one or more of the legs57 with respect to the bracket 55 inwhich it is mounted, the legs being maintained in a selected position bythe introduction of a retaining pin into a selected hole 59.

To return the unit to a collapsed, folded, and stored condition asillustrated in FIG. 2, the sequence of steps is merely reversed.

I claim:

1. A camping unit adapted to be folded into a casing,

said unit when erected comprising,

a pair of laterally spaced horizontal casing halves,

a pair of vertical panels hinged to and depending from the adjacentedges of said casing halves,

a pair of horizontal floor panels hinged to the lower edges of saidvertical panels and to each other,

a tent and means mounted on said casing halves for supporting said tentover said casing halves,

said floor panels being pivotable to lie against said vertical panels,said vertical panels being pivotable to lie against said casing halves,and

means for joining said casing halves together to enclose said panels,tent, and tent supporting means when said unit is collapsed.

2. A camping unit adapted to be folded into a casing, said unit whenerected comprising,

a pair of laterally spaced horizontal casing halves,

a pair of vertical panels hinged to and depending from the adjacentedges of said casing halves, a pair of horizontal floor panels hinged tothe lower edges of said vertical panels and to each other,

said floor panels being pivotable to lie against said vertical panels,said vertical panels being pivota-ble to lie against said casing halves,and

means for joining said casing halves together to enclose said panelswhen said unit is collapsed.

3. A camping unit according to claim 2 in which each casing halfcomprises a bottom wall, an outside wall and two end walls, and in whicheach said vertical panel has a laterally projecting flange whose edge ishinged to said bottom wall, thereby forming the hinged connection ofsaid vertical panel to said casing half, said flange forming a side wallof said casing when said casing halves are joined together.

4. A camping unit according to claim 2 further comprising a mattressdisposed in each casing half and forming a bunk with each casing half.

5. A camping unit according to claim 2 further comprising an L-shapedsupport leg mounted at each vertical edge of said vertical panels, saidleg having a vertical element pivoted to said panel and a horizontalground engaging element, said ground engaging element projectinglaterally outwardly and adapted to swing into the plane of said verticalpanel when said panel is folded within said casing.

6. A camping unit according to claim 2 further comprising a pair of bunkbraces pivoted on a vertical axis at the ends of each said verticalpanel, said braces being pivotal to a laterally outward positionunderlying and engaging the undersurface of a respective casing half andbeing pivotal to lie against said vertical wall when said vertical wallis folded within said casing half.

7. A camping unit according to claim 2 further comprising a U-shapedbrace at each end of said unit, each said brace having a lower edgeextending across said floor panels and vertical edges in engagement withsaid vertical panels, one of said vertical edges being hinged to one ofsaid vertical panels to permit said brace to be swung against saidvertical panel.

8. A camping unit according to claim 7 further comprising means on saidbrace for holding said floor panels up against the lower edge of saidbrace.

9. A camping unit according to claim 2 further comprising a U-shapedtent support having its ends pivoted to one of said casing halves, thebight portion of said tent support forming a ridge pole for a tent, aU-shaped side wall support pivoted to each casing half, and a tentcanvas mounted on said casing halves and configurated to he held inerected condition by said supports, said supports and canvas beingadapted to be collapsed and disposed within said casing halves when saidcasing halves are joined together.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,071,644 2/ 1937 McBrady 19022,640,999 6/1953 Sheppard 4 2,658,212 11/1953 Green 1354 2,804,0838/1957 Wieber 1354 2,930,051 3/1960 Kampmeier 1351 X FOREIGN PATENTS861,064 2/1961 Great Britain.

EARL J. WITMER, Primary Examiner.

PETER M. CAUN, Examiner.

1. A CAMPING UNIT ADAPTED TO BE FOLDED INTO A CASING, SAID UNIT WHENERECTED COMPRISING, A PAIR OF LATERALLY SPACED HORIZONTAL CASING HALVES,A PAIR OF VERTICAL PANELS HINGED TO AND DEPENDING FROM THE ADJACENTEDGES OF SAID CASING HALVES, A PAIR OF HORIZONTAL FLOOR PANELS HINGED TOTHE LOWER EDGES OF SAID VERTICAL PANELS AND TO EACH OTHER A TENT ANDMEANS MOUNTED ON SAID CASING HALVES FOR SUPPORTING SAID TENT OVER SAIDCASING HALVES, SAID FLOOR PANELS BEING PIVOTABLE TO LIE AGAINST SAIDVERTICAL PANELS, SAID VERTICAL PANELS BEING PIVOTABLE TO LIE AGAINSTSAID CASING HALVES, AND MEANS FOR JOINING SAID CASING HALVES TOGETHER TOENCLOSE SAID PANELS, TENT, AND TENT SUPPORTING MEANS WHEN SAID UNIT ISCOLLAPSED.